LITTLE ROCK — A federal judge has ordered Arkansas to pay more than $65,000 in attorneys' fees for the plaintiffs who challenged the state's 12-week abortion ban.

U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright on Monday granted the request for attorneys' fees by the two Little Rock physicians who argued the ban was unconstitutional. Wright struck down the 12-week ban in March. The state is appealing her decision.

Wright awarded the plaintiffs $65,580 in attorneys' fees, lowering it from the $76,560 the plaintiffs had originally requested. She also awarded plaintiffs $3,445 for expenses and costs related to the case.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas had sued the state on behalf of the doctors, who perform abortions at a Little Rock clinic.